Social media is one of the biggest channels that can greatly influence your eCommerce website today. Unfortunately, not many businesses are currently maximizing this tool to its fullest.
Social media is no longer just a tool that people use to connect with old friends and family. In the digital era, it’s also a tool that businesses can weaponize – empowering small and big brands alike to attract customers.
But that’s not all. At the same time, social media has enabled businesses to create communities around their products and services – connecting users to them and encouraging a sense of loyalty and belongingness.
When used effectively, businesses can make direct sales, gather valuable reviews and feedback, engage and communicate with users, and reach out to potentially millions of people from around the globe.
Even if you have a retail store, social media provides the opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to resolving any issues and retaining precious customers.
So, how can you start utilizing social media as part of your e-commerce website design today? Here’s how:
Increasing visibility
Before anything else, you’ll want to let your current customers know that your brand is on social media.
Putting up social media icons down at the bottom of each webpage is a good start, and this relationship works both ways. Be sure to include a link to your website so that users who find you on channels such as Facebook and Instagram know where to get their hands on your products and services.
Increasing engagement
The current algorithm for most social media channels works such that the most active pages are the ones being prioritized. The more often you share information, or engage with consumers – the stronger your brand’s social media presence becomes overtime.
One way to increase engagement is to offer useful content. Preferably, the content you share should provide useful information and value to consumers. At the same time, it should excite them enough to share it with other people they know, and come back for more.
Promote and advertise
If you have some budget to spare, you should consider promoting and advertising your website on social media. Before doing so, make sure you have a clear goal and strategy that will oversee and track the campaign’s success.
For example, you’re not going to do the same thing if you want to clear out your inventory as you would if you were trying to incentivize customers to purchase more.
Do more than just sell
Social media success doesn’t happen overnight. You’ll have to go through multiple failed experiments, and plenty of smart planning to do it right. Remember, you’re not just selling your products and services; but instead, establishing your brand presence. This involves a continuous cycle of testing, improving, and refining your methods.
While it might sound a lot of work, engaging the help of a creative digital agency can help to accelerate the process and tick off all the boxes to maximize social media for your website.
At IXEN Interactive, we have over 20 years of ecommerce web development experience, including User Experience (UX) design, content creation and copywriting, as well as analytics and optimization.
Put your business in a position to succeed today and tomorrow by contacting us for a consultation today!
